The Well at the World's End: A Tale

by William Morris

  CHAPTER 6

  They Ride From Vale Turris. Redhead Tells of Agatha

  On the morrow when they arose, Ralph heard the sound of horses and theclashing of arms: he went to the window, and looked out, and saw howthe spears stood up thick together at the Tower's foot, and knew thatthese were the men who were to be his fellows by the way. Theircaptain he saw, a big man all-armed in steel, but himseemed that heknew his face under his sallet, and presently saw that it was Redhead.He was glad thereof, and clad himself hastily, and went out a-doors,and went up to him and hailed him, and Redhead leapt off his horse, andcast his arms about Ralph, and made much of him, and said: "It is goodfor sore eyes to see thee, lord; and I am glad at heart that all wentwell with thee that time. Although, forsooth, there was guile behindit. Yet whereas I wotted nothing thereof, which I will pray thee tobelieve, and whereas thou hast the gain of all, I deem thou maystpardon me."

  Said Ralph: "Thou hast what pardon of me thou needest; so be content.For the rest, little need is there to ask if thou thrivest, for Ibehold thee glad and well honoured."

  As they spoke came the Lord forth from the Tower, and said: "Come thou,Lord Ralph, and eat with us ere thou takest to the road; I mean withOtter and me. As for thee, Redhead, if aught of ill befall this King'sSon under thy way-leading, look to it that thou shalt lose my good wordwith Agatha; yea, or gain my naysay herein; whereby thou shalt missboth fee and fair dame."

  Redhead looked sheepishly on Ralph at that word, yet winked at himalso, as if it pleased him to be jeered concerning his wooing; so thatRalph saw how the land lay, and that the guileful handmaid was not illcontent with that big man. So he smiled kindly on him and nodded, andwent back with Bull into the Tower. There they sat down all to meattogether; and when they were done with their victual, Bull spake, andsaid to Ralph: "Fair King's Son, is this then the last sight of thee?wilt thou never come over the mountains again?" Said Ralph: "Whoknoweth? I am young yet, and have drunk of the Water of the Well."Bull grew somewhat pensive and said: "Yea, thou meanest that thoumayest come back and find me no longer here. Yet if thou findest butmy grave-mound, yet mayhappen thou shalt come on something said or sungof me, which shall please thee. For I will tell thee, that thou hastchanged my conditions; how, I wot not."

  "Thy word is good," said Ralph, "yet I meant not that; never should Icome to Utterbol if I looked not to find thee living there." Bullsmiled on him as though he loved him, and said: "This is well spoken; Ishall look to see thee before I die."

  Then said Ursula: "Lord of Utterbol, this also thou mayst think on,that it is no further from Utterbol to Upmeads than from Upmeads toUtterbol." The Lord laughed and said: "Sooth is that; and were but myBull here, as I behold you I should be of mind to swear by him to comeand see you at Upmeads ere ten years have worn."

  Then she put forth her hand and said: "Swear by this!" So he took itand swore the oath; but the Sage of Swevenham said: "This oath thoushalt keep to the gain and not the loss both of thee and of thy friendsof Upmeads."

  Thus were they fain of each other, and Ralph saw how Bull's heart wasgrown big, and he rejoiced thereat. But anon he arose and said: "Now,Lord, we ask leave to depart for the way is long, and mayhappen mykindred now lack a man's helping." Then Bull stood up and called forhis horse, and Otter also, and they all went forth and gat a-horsebackand rode away from Vale Turris, and Redhead rode behind them humbly,till it was noon and they made stay for meat. Then after they hadbroken bread together and drunk a cup Bull and Otter kissed thewayfarers, and bade them farewell and so rode back to Vale Turris, andRalph and Ursula and the Sage tarried not but rode on their ways.

  But anon Ralph called to Redhead, and bade him ride beside them thatthey might talk together, and he came up with them, and Ursula greetedhim kindly, and they were merry one with another. And Ralph said toRedhead: "Friend captain, thou art exceeding in humility not to ridewith the Lord or Captain Otter; save for chance-hap, I see not thatthou art worser than they."

  Redhead grinned, and said: "Well, as to Otter, that is all true; butas for Lord Bull it is another matter; I wot not but his kindred may beas good or better than any in these east parts. In any case, he hathhis kin and long descent full often in his mouth, while I am but agangrel body. Howbeit it is all one, whereas whatso he or Otter bidany man to do, he doeth it, but my bidding may be questioned at whiles.And look you, lord, times are not ill, so wherefore should I risk achange of days? Sooth to say, both these great lords have done well byme."

  Ralph laughed: "And better will they do, as thou deemest; give theeAgatha, to wit?" "Yea, fair sir," quoth Redhead. "No great gift, thatseemeth to me, for thy valiancy," said Ralph; "she is guileful enoughand loose enough for a worse man than thee."

  "Lord," said Redhead, "even of her thou shalt say what pleaseth thee;but no other man shall say of her what pleaseth me not. For all thatis come and gone she is true and valiant, and none may say that she isnot fair and sweet enough for a better man than me; and my great goodluck it is that, as I hope, she looketh no further for a better."

  Ursula said: "Is it so, perchance, that now she is free and hathnaught to fear, she hath no need for guile?" "Hail to thee for thyword, lady," quoth Redhead; and then he was silent, glooming somewhaton Ralph.

  But Ralph said: "Nay, my friend, I meant no harm, but I was wonderingwhat had befallen to bring you two so close together."

  "It was fear and pain, and the helping of each other that wrought it,"said Redhead. Said Ursula: "Good Captain, how was it that she escapedthe uttermost of evil at the tyrant's hands? since from all that I haveheard, it must needs be that he laid the blame on her (working for hermistress) of my flight from Utterbol."

  "Even so it was, lady," said Redhead; "but, as thou wottest belike, shehad got it spread abroad that she was cunning in sorcery, and that herspell would not end when her life ended; nay, that he to whom her ghostshould bear ill-will, and more especially such an one as might compassher death, should have but an ill time of it while he lived, whichshould not be long. This tale, which, sooth to say, I myself helped tospread, the Lord of Utterbol trowed in wholly, so cunningly was ittold; so that, to make a long story short, he feared her, and fearedher more dead than living. So that when he came home, and found theegone, lady, he did indeed deem that thy flight was of Agatha'scontrivance. And this the more because his nephew (he whom thou didstbeguile; I partly guess how) told him a made-up tale how all was doneby the spells of Agatha. For this youth was of all men, not evensaving his uncle, most full of malice; and he hated Agatha, and wouldhave had her suffer the uttermost of torments and he to be standing bythe while; howbeit his malice overshot itself, since his tale made hereven more of a witch than the lord deemed before."

  "Yea," said Ursula, "and what hath befallen that evil young man,Captain?" Said Redhead: "It is not known to many, lady; but two daysbefore the slaying of his uncle, I met him in a wood a little way fromUtterbol, and, the mood being on me I tied him neck and heels and casthim, with a stone round his neck, into a deep woodland pool hight theRam's Bane, which is in that same wood. Well, as to my tale of Agatha.When the lord came home first, he sent for her, and his rage had somastered his fear for a while that his best word was scourge and rackand faggot; but she was, outwardly, so calm and cold, smiling on himbalefully, that he presently came to himself, a found that fear was inhis belly, and that he might not do what he would with her; whereforehe looked to it that however she were used (which was ill enough, Godwot!) she should keep the soul in her body. And at last the fear somounted into his head that he made peace with her, and even cravedforgiveness of her and gave her gifts. She answered him sweetlyindeed, yet so as he (and all others who were bystanding, of whom I wasone,) might well see that she deemed she owed him a day in harvest. Asfor me, he heeded me naught, and I lay low all I might. And in anywise we wore the time till the great day of deliverance."

  Therewith dropped the talk about Agatha, when they had bidden him allluck in his life. Forsooth,
they were fain of his words, and of hisways withal. For he was a valiant man, and brisk, and one who forgatno benefit, and was trusty as steel; merry-hearted withal, and kind andready of speech despite his uplandish manners, which a life not alittle rude had thrust on him.